Man leaves car with airport meet-and-greet provider but comes back to find fines from two councils
Meet-and-greet parking at the airport is supposed to ease the hassle that comes with going on holiday, but yet another driver has complained that it's done the opposite.
We've previously heard how motorists have returned from their travels to find their vehicles have been 'written off', involved in a 'serious collision' or taken on unauthorised trips after leaving them in the care of parking companies.
Often, its the registered vehicle owner who is left to pick up the pieces - and that's what's happened to a bloke named Andrew, who fears he might be left hundreds of pounds out of pocket.
Despite being touted as one of the more 'convenient' ways to park at the airport, using dodgy meet-and-greet firms often ends up being more trouble than its worth.
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Andrew explained that he headed to Dubai earlier this year and left his motor in the care of a company known as 'Heathrow Meet and Greet'...but despite its name, it is not affiliated with the airport.
This company is also known as HMG Parking and is said to act as a 'comparison site', which funnels its clients to different agencies rather than doing the dirty work themselves.
After leaving his car in what he thought was the safe custody of HMG Parking on 25 February, Andrew then hopped on his flight and enjoyed his holiday - but ended up being 'stranded' in Dubai for an extra six days due to the war that broke out in the Middle East.
When the holidaymaker and his wife finally made it back to the UK, they were left outraged to discover their car was a 'complete mess inside' and 'had no fuel in it'.
Andrew also claimed that some change he had set aside for parking was 'missing', along with a phone charger. To make matters worse, the couple then got home to discover they had a few fines in the post.
'I was out of the country at the time'
Detailing his dilemma, Andrew told Sky News' Money Problem series: "I had received a penalty notice from Hounslow Council on 26 February.
"A few days later, I receive further two penalty notices from Slough Council for parking in the wrong place on 27 February.
"Slough Council have waived my two penalty notices. However, Hounslow is continuing to try and extract a penalty of £160 from me even though I proved that I was out of the country at the time of the offence."
Consumer journalist and personal finance specialist Jess Sharp explained 'lots of people' had been in touch with similar complaints, but she believed that Andrew's was 'the most serious they have come across so far'.
In a bid to help the driver out of this parking pickle, she did some digging into who had taken charge of Andrew's car while he was away.
Sharp explained that although he booked through HMG Parking's website, an independent provider known as Super Parking Limited were actually the ones who looked after his motor.
She discovered that this firm is currently being investigated by Trading Standards, is under scrutiny from Companies House and isn't 'officially accredited with a parking body'.
Trying to get in touch with Super Parking Limited was no easy feat, as there was no website, social media account or contact number to go off - and all of Sharp's attempts were futile, as 'every email she sent was undeliverable'.
The finance expert explained the parking firm's registered address had been changed to one belonging to Companies House, which she described as a 'sign that can mean the company has been flagged for fraud and is being investigated'.
What Sharp's probe unearthed
In her response to Andrew's plight, she explained: "Every limited company registered in the UK must at all times make sure its registered address is 'appropriate' - essentially, that it is real, not just a PO box, and mail sent there can realistically reach someone acting for the company.
"When this requirement has not been met, Companies House changes it to its own default address, and the company must provide evidence to change it within 28 days or the process to strike it off the register will begin.
"Super Parking Limited has not done this and now faces being struck off and dissolved within the next two months if it fails to do so.
"We also understand that Trading Standards is investigating the company and has already worked to take down its website and its details from a comparison site. Heathrow Meet and Greet has since removed it from its website and it is no longer a service provider on the platform."
Sharp even tried to track down the bloke who is listed as the director of Super Parking Limited, but to no avail - so instead, she offered Andrew some advice on how to appeal the £160 fine he is facing for his car being in a bus lane.
Typically, the owner of the vehicle is responsible for paying these sums even if they weren't driving at the time...but as he was out of the country and did not give his consent, it's a whole different ballgame.
As Andrew reported this incident to the police, he was given a crime reference number, which Sharp said would come in handy during his appeal.
She advised him to stress that he is 'not responsible for paying this fine' in his plea, while laying out his reasoning 'fully and carefully'.
Sharp added: "Once you have proven that you weren't driving and the car was taken without your permission, the notice against you must be cancelled. If your appeal isn't successful, you can escalate your complaint to London Tribunals which is independent of Hounslow Council and free for drivers to use."
What else Andrew can do
Andrew was also told that issuing a chargeback via his bank for the lacklustre services provided by Super Parking Limited was a good idea, as well as reporting the incident to Report Fraud.
Sharp also explained that he should do some thorough digging if he opts to use meet-and-greet parking at the airport in future, as should any other motorist.
A spokesman for the British Parking Association also suggested using an airport's 'official' services and asking questions about what will happen to your car to avoid ending up in a similar situation to Andrew.
LADbible has contacted Hounslow Council for comment.
Olivia Burke